ISIS children in Kurdish camps still facing uncertain future

Mustafa Kamel

More countries are coming out to express opposition to the return home of the members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), now in the jails of Syria’s Democratic Forces (QSD) in northeastern Syria.

Russia, Kosovo, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan were the last countries to express this opposition.

Uncertain future

The ISIS prisoners in Kurdish jails include a large number of children. This raises fears from the emergence of a new generation of terrorists who are more violent.

The presence of the prisoners in the jails for a long time is also giving rise to fears from the health problems they might be in for. Some people are especially afraid of the spread of contagion among the prisoners. There are also fears from the spread of the coronavirus infection among the same prisoners.

Between acceptance and rejection

Over 10,000 children are held in the camps in northeastern Syria. The children belong to parents who came to Syria to join ISIS from over 40 countries.

Over 50% of the children are less than five years old, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper warned against the effects tough conditions in the camps where these children are held would have on them, expecting these conditions to contribute to radicalizing the children.

Return

Despite all these debates, over 20 countries had so far approved the return of the children of their nationals who had joined ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

The United States had approved the return of 15 children so far, but it has not clarified the number of other children who are yet to return home.

Russia, Kosovo, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan also approved the return of over 100 other children and women.

However, most western governments are reluctant to allow their nationals who had joined ISIS and their children to return home.